Support Communities through CASCADE! | Fall 2026
Description
Our Mission
CASCADE: Community Service is a UC Berkeley student organization dedicated to cultivating a culture of compassion, service, and empathy through hands-on learning and community service. Since 2022, our members have mentored elementary school students on social-emotional topics while creating opportunities to serve communities throughout Berkeley and the greater Bay Area.
Our mission centers around our “3 C's”: local children, the UC Berkeley campus, and the larger Bay Area community. Through elementary-school mentorship, Campus Compassion events, and care-package projects, we give Berkeley students opportunities to turn compassion into meaningful action.
End-of-the-Year CASCADE Social!
Supporting Local Youth
CASCADE currently partners with Fairmont Elementary School, where our members teach interactive lessons on social-emotional topics such as mindfulness, mental health, empathy, and self-compassion. Our lessons incorporate hands-on activities, discussions, and creative exercises that help make these concepts more engaging and accessible for younger students.
Service is also an important part of our mentorship model. Our programs give students opportunities to put the compassion and empathy they learn about into practice through projects benefiting others. Through these experiences, we hope to help students recognize that even small acts of kindness can have an impact on their communities.
Hands-On Learning at Fairmont Elementary!
Extending Compassion Beyond Campus
CASCADE's service projects allow us to extend our impact beyond Berkeley's campus and the classrooms where we volunteer. Through care-package projects, our members assemble resources tailored to the communities we are serving. Previous projects have supported unhoused individuals, underserved youth, and, more recently, senior citizens.
Additional funding allows us to increase the quality, quantity, and variety of items included in these projects and continue identifying meaningful ways for CASCADE members and the students we mentor to serve others throughout the Bay Area.
Care Packages for Underserved Communities!
Building a More Compassionate Berkeley
Our impact continues on our own campus through Campus Compassion, a series of interactive events designed to bring kindness and connection to the UC Berkeley community.
Past activities have included handwritten notes of affirmation, bracelet making, postcard and printmaking stations, and collaborations with the UC Berkeley Student Union. More recently, students participated in a “make a kind note, take a kind note” activity, where they could write an encouraging message for another person while taking one for themselves.
This year, we hope to make Campus Compassion events a more consistent presence on campus and continue creating simple, accessible opportunities for Berkeley students to connect with and support one another.
Make a Kind Note, Take a Kind Note Campus Compassion Event!
Spreading Kindness on Campus!
Budget Breakdown
Your support will directly fund CASCADE's elementary-school mentorship, care-package projects, Campus Compassion events, and the operational needs that make these programs possible.
All estimates are approximate, and actual expenditures may vary according to program needs.
At our $1,500 fundraising goal, this represents approximately $750 for care packages, $450 for Campus Compassion events, $150 for lesson-plan activities, and $150 for operational costs.
If We Surpass Our Goal
If we surpass our $1,500 goal, additional funds will allow us to increase the quality and quantity of our care packages, hold Campus Compassion events more consistently, and provide additional hands-on materials for our elementary-school mentorship program.
If We Do Not Reach Our Goal
If we do not reach our full goal, every contribution will still directly support these initiatives. We will adjust the scale and quantity of our activities based on available funding while continuing to prioritize our core programs.
Whether your contribution helps purchase materials for an elementary student's activity, supplies for a Campus Compassion event, or essentials for a care package, every gift helps us turn compassion into action.
Thank you for supporting CASCADE and helping us spread compassion throughout Berkeley and the greater Bay Area!
Instagram: @cascade.berkeley
Contact: cascade@berkeley.edu
Want to make your gift by check, donor-advised fund, or employer matching program? We are happy to help! Please email calcrowdfunding@berkeley.edu and include how you would like to support this project. Our team will provide the appropriate instructions, coordinate gift processing, and help ensure your contribution is credited to this campaign whenever possible.
$25
Virtual Thank You Card
Donors receive a personalized digital thank-you card from Cascade with a team photo!
$50
Social Media Shoutout
Donors receive a shoutout on Cascade's Instagram account! This perk includes all previous perks.
$75
Team Thank You Video
Donors receive a thank-you video from all of the members on the executive team! This perk includes all previous perks.
$100
Adopt a Project
Donors can name and/or suggest a campus compassion project! This perk includes all previous perks.
$500
Cascade Insider
Join Cascade in an exclusive video call during one of our general meetings or campus compassion events! See what our members are doing for the campus and kids in the Bay Area! Chat with the team and get special insight into what we are doing! This perk includes all previous perks.
